Sunday, December 10, 2006

Easy and crunchy chicken (Indian style) in potato shells

Easy usually is not a word to describe my experience in Indian cooking, but this time I'd tell you Shaheen's Kozhi Varatiyathu (spicy chicken stir fry) pretty easy; her recipe is so easy to follow, with all the explanations I need to predict what happens next. To cook it is simply... stir fry! The flavor is absolutely fantastic and the multi-layers of texture make this dish incredibly sensational. That's enough to explain why the recipe has been passing two generations, from Shynee's mom to herself, the original authors.

This chicken stir fry uses a lot of shallot (2 cups! Please listen to Shaheen, the more the merrier!). Shaheen marinated the chicken with lemon juice briefly first in order to get rid of any meaty odor (which I find particularly strong in those non-organic/non-free-ranged chickens). I've also heard that Jewish people do their chicken the same way to drain out the blood (please correct me if I'm wrong)...

Shaheen's recipe is very well-written and definitely a keeper. My husband loves this dish so much that he's already expected having it (usually with rice) at least once a week! Now with the holiday's season coming, I've tried to make it as finger food: spoonfuls of chicken in potato shells (the top photo). I did the shells by piping mashed potato in well-greased tart tins, then baked them in a medium-hot oven until golden brown. But I didn't like them to be cooled off prior unmoulding; food always tastes better when it's hot. So next round I may use hollowed-out potato skin instead.

Gattina, as usual your recipe and photography makes me feel so hungry! For everyday eating I think I'd just have it with rice too, but the tip about making piped shells of mashed potato to hold the chicken is also a wonderful idea if you have guests!

Kosher and halal butchering is done by exsanguination, or draining the blood. It's healthier than how most slaughterhouses do it, at least in the U.S.A. It's a little more time-consuming, which is why I think most slaughterhouses don't us that method. Just to let you know!

Are there any extra chemicals in non-free range or non-organic chicken? It may also be due to how they were raised and fed.

I like reading a lot on the science of food and food business. The technicalities of it.